Leeds United have once again announced that they will be sponsoring this year's Leeds Pride celebration.
The Whites are in the midst of a tense playoff battle as they look to climb back into the Premier League next season, but they have still made the all-important time to help out the city's annual festival and parade.
Along with Leeds United's official LGBTQ+ supporters group, Marching Out Together, the Yorkshire club has confirmed they will be serving as infrastructure sponsor for the second year running, having previously backed the event in other capacities.
2024 marks the 19th year of Leeds Pride, which champions inclusivity, diversity and acceptance, as well as acting as a platform for education whilst highlighting the ongoing fight for quality and inclusion.
The promotion hopefuls first took their infrastructure role in 2023 - having previously become the first UK club to have a member of their first team, Luke Ayling, attend Pride - and will once again be helping the operate the day through funding.
Leeds Pride is one of the biggest one-day festivals in the city centre and continues to grow year-on-year, with more than 70,000 people choosing to visit the parade and various other associated events in 2023 alone.
As detailed in an official statement from United, "This is a testament to the progress and acceptance achieved over the years, but there is still work to be done, and the club will continue to support and help where possible to ensure members of the LGBTQ+ community feel empowered to be their true selves."
Leeds strong support for the LGBTQ+ community is exhibiting not only through their dedicated Marching Out Together fan group but in backing campaigns like Rainbow Laces and Football v Homophobia throughout the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xjEGCTpqUA
The team and supporters club support several other similar initiatives in local schools and organisations.
As well as acting as a key sponsor for the seventh year running, Pride 2024 is also set to see further representation on the day from staff, as well as both current and former Leeds United players.
A spokesperson from Marching Out Together said: "It’s fantastic to see once again Leeds United proudly announce their sponsorship of Leeds Pride this year. It sends out such a powerful message of support to the LGBTQ+ community.
"We are now working with the club to ensure we enjoy another successful day at the wonderful Leeds Pride, and our thanks go to all those players and staff at Leeds United who give such valuable support throughout the year to the work of Marching Out Together."
This years Leeds Pride Parade takes place on Sunday, 21 July and is set to be a truly wonderful celebration as always. You can find out more down below.
Hop City, the UK’s first hop-led beer festival from Leeds-based brewery Northern Monk, is returning next year for a landmark 10th birthday celebration.
And this time it's going to be bigger and better than ever before, take place across two sessions on Saturday 15 May 2027 and held at Project House for the first time.
Hop City 10 will be the brewery’s biggest festival yet with over 300 beers from 50 producers, up from this year’s 35, coming to Leeds from across the US, Europe and the UK.
The first guest announcement includes Vermont-based The Alchemist, regarded as one of the pioneers of the Hazy beer synonymous with the festival, joining Northern Monk for the first time since the inaugural Hop City; and Delaware’s Dogfish Head, another highly respected US brewer who last poured for Hop City in 2023.
There will also be many more no/low choices and more non-beer options, including Manchester’s Stiff Tea Brewing Company and their signature Hard Kombucha.
Tickets to Hop City include entry and access to the festival throughout your chosen session, all of the entertainment on offer, an exclusive Hop City 10 glass and all of your sample pours throughout your session. Sounds like a pretty good deal if you ask us.
Russell Bisset, Founder of Northern Monk: “It’s hard to believe that we’re celebrating a decade of Hop City.
“We’re pulling out all the stops for its 10th anniversary, taking everything people already love about the festival to the next level whilst bringing in new experiences, collaborations and features that we’ve never had the space to deliver before.
“We’re also excited to be welcoming some of our brewing heroes to Leeds, including the founders of US breweries Alchemist, Dogfish Head and Other Half, who will all be flying over to Leeds. These are people and breweries that we’ve admired for years, so to have them join us to celebrate 10 years of Hop City is really special.
“Whether you’ve been with us since year one or are joining us for the first time, this will be our biggest and most exciting Hop City yet. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone at Project House next year”
A Parisian-inspired bistro serving steak and bottomless fries has just opened in Leeds
Clementine Hall
There's only one thing better than fries, and that's bottomless fries.
There's a new date spot in town, and it's called Jasper's.
Tucked away in the beautiful Grand Arcade, this new bistro and bar is focusing on one thing and doing it well...steak and chips.
We honestly can't think of a better combo, and the best part? The chips are bottomless.
You may have seen this sort of concept over in Paris, where guests are served two servings of steak and chips all for a very reasonable price.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Well this is basically the same, except you get one steak each and endless fries that are perfect for mopping up all the juices.
You can choose from a rump steak and chips for just £19.50 or you can pay a little bit extra for a 28 day aged ribeye, if you're feeling that little bit fancy.
Then once your food arrives, you'll have 90 minutes to get through as many fries as possible. Challenge accepted.
They've got loads of sauces for dipping and dunking as well, from your classic peppercorn to a zingy chimichurri.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
If steak isn't your thing then the menu also features plenty of other options like tiger prawns, fried oysters and grilled scallops.
The cocktail list is absolutely huge, with over 100 whiskeys on offer for you to make your way through.
The interior is moody, dark and ultra romantic - perfect for date night if you ask us.
Jasper's steak house and bar is open now in Leeds city centre and you can find more about it here.